Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness

Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness is a new exquisitly painted Tarot deck of 78 cards and extensively illustrated book by Barbara Bruch. This deck is an exploration of the symbolic relationships of Tarot to Astrology, the Qabbalah and Sacred Geometry. It is meant to inspire the seeker to create one's self-directed spiritual path.

Saturday, February 10, 2018

For Justiceto prevail in righting a wrong, we must first recognize the
ramifications of Injustice. What has been unjust? What injustices are being
resolved? Justice is necessary for a civil society and is exemplified by the
rule of law. We have vindication and justice when we put a stop to unfair
practices. Then we can achieve fairness and equal access to goods and services in
an impartial and equitable manner. There are many types of justice meted out by
our courts but only a few are mentioned here. How can we find equity and
fairness in the issues confronting us today? We need to open our eyes and uncover
what is going wrong so we can make it right. Here are a few categories of
Justice/Injustices prevalent today: Let’s examine abuses in social justice,
criminal justice, and contractual justice for starters.

Social Justice: Social inequality can be much bigger than the
individual.

Discrimination –
social and economic oppression, inequity

Injustice: We see racism, sexism, genderism, homophobia, ageism,
classism, going on right now all across America. (not to mention in other
countries too.)

Racism – injustice:
slavery and segregation

Looking back in history before the Civil War, Harriet Tubman
(1820-1913) sought justice for enslaved black people in the deep South. She was
born into slavery; was beaten and resold several times, but managed to be a
leader in helping slaves escape from cruel slavery and the slave trade, and flee
on the “Underground Railroad.”Over 50,000 slaves may have escaped
this way, helped by other freed slaves, Quakers, Abolitionists, and other
concerned citizens. This was a very painful time in our history. Abraham
Lincoln ordered the freedom of slaves in the “Emancipation Proclamation” of
1863.

Segregation continued
in the South into the 20th century. In the 1960’s, signs on
businesses still read “whites only,” and “coloreds to the back of the bus.” Since
then, we know the ensuing story of Martin Luther King (1929-1968) and the
freedom marches, including the famous march on Washington in the 1960’s; all of
which were intended to put an end to racial discrimination and apartheid in the
South and in some Northern states. This was resolved with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Today, the search for justice is reflected in the “Sanctuary
Movement,” supported by churches and some cities, in helping so-called illegal
immigrants. It began in helping refugees escape from war torn Guatemala, El
Salvador, and Nicaragua, who were seeking asylum in the US in the 1980’s. This
has spread now to Muslims seeking refuge from wars in the Middle East, and
Mexican workers sneaking over the border who are seeking a better life or job
in the US. In the aftermath, these people are struggling with hate, workplace
discrimination, and unjust deportation. There must be hope for a justifiable
solution in the near future; not by building a “Berlin Wall,” or instituting
indiscriminate travel bans.

“We don’t serve gay
people here.” This form of discrimination is going on in Mississippi right now
with the recent ruling that businesses can refuse service to the LBGT community
based on an owner’s religious beliefs. This smacks of the same discrimination
that went on last century when blacks were not allowed in “white only”
businesses because of the color of their skin. It is reminiscent of the
inhumane treatment of Jews, which finally led to deportation to “death camps” in
the immoral horror of Nazi Germany in the 1930’s - 40’s. Does this mean that
all gay people should start wearing a “pink” star? This kind of outright
discrimination opens the door to “hate crimes” and oppression. People can claim
“religious reasons” for all sorts of things. How about refusing service to
“adulterers” and “prostitutes”?

How could a prominent movie director get by with the abuse of
women and only give a young actress a part in a movie if she would sleep with
him? Through threats, intimidation and unscrupulous lawyers, he prevailed. Current
“#MeToo” revelations have exposed a whole range of outrageous denigrating
behavior! How could an Olympic doctor betray the trust of female athletes and
molest them in the examining room again and again? And then there was the
scandalous conduct of trusted Priests, who took a vow of chastity, yet molested
young boys. These revelations have uncovered the “dark side” of humankind;
disclosing behavior that can be morbid, immoral, and degrading.Justice here is an upbraid of perverse
instincts. Recently, the perpetrators have been sued or lost their jobs. The
doctor received a life sentence.

On the Standing Rock Reservation, the treaty with the Sioux
Nation of 1876 was put in jeopardy as a 3.8-billion-dollar oil pipeline was
being constructed across lands recognized as Sioux territory. Broken treaties
and wrongful use of eminent domain are at the heart of the ongoing protests.
Over 10,000 demonstrators (“water protectors”) were subjected to extreme
military style police brutality for several months. Lawsuits have begun against
the Army Corps and DAPL.In June 2017, a
Federal Judge ruled that the Dakota Access pipeline did not receive adequate
environmental vetting, but an Appeals Court refused to stop it. Farmers who
lost some of their land to eminent domain condemnation for the laying of the pipeline
on the way to Patoka, Illinois, are also suing for deception, fraud and harassment.(See Fifth Amendment, The Constitution)

In Giotto’s frescos, (1305, Arena Chapel in Padua, Italy)
the female figure of Justice (Justitia) holds the scales for weighing the truth
of the matter.An angel (clemency) is in
one pan and an executioner (punishment) is in the other pan.In other images of Justice in art, especially
sculptures, Justitia is blindfolded and holds the sword of Truth, which separates
right from wrong and cuts away the lies and obsfucations.

Giotto also painted a figure for Injustice as a haughty man in a wild forest with crumbling castle
ramparts. At the bottom, tiny figures of soldiers are dragging and stripping a
woman naked. This could be a representation of the story of an attempted rape
of St. Thecla who was saved by a rock that opened up for her to hide in. (See
“The New Testament Apocrypha, The Acts of
Paul and Thecla.”)

“Below Injustice, in images scratched away
by visitors over the ages, cruel soldiers

drag the clothing from a hapless woman.”

Brian Williams, The
Minchiate Tarot, Destiny Books, 1999

These are a few examples of present day significant
“injustices.” It will take time to resolve some of these issues. Remember that
when you receive the Justice card in
a reading, think carefully about any injustices going on in your personal life
or business, and/or society in general. Look for clues that will uncover hidden
abuses or criminal behavior. Examine all the options for righting a wrong and
finding justice. Weigh your thoughts and words in response to intense
situations and strive to balance truth and fairness with cooperation and
support. Seek legal counsel, if it seems necessary, for a way to deal appropriately
with the issues.

Sunday, January 14, 2018

Where are you today in your life? Is it unfolding the way
you would like? Do you wonder if your experiences are just a twist of fate or
part of a larger plan? What is your destiny?

Spin the “Wheel of Fortune” for some answers.

“The fundamental building blocks of
nature, the wheel, is the circle of life flowing through all aspects of
existence.”Anodea Judith “Wheels of
Life” Llewellyn, 1988

The Wheel of Fortune in a Tarot deck
essentially symbolizes the ups and downs of a person’s life experiences,
including phases of having to deal with good and evil. Where did this concept of “fortune” originate?
Why is it included in the Tarot? As an
art form, early illustrations and little paintings of the Wheel of Fortune are
found in many old manuscripts from Medieval times and throughout the
Renaissance. In these, the Roman goddess Fortuna
turns a crank and four figures, who are attached around the edge of the wheel, are
seen rising and falling and one is being crushed underneath. Constant change and
instability of the human condition is reflected in these illustrations. Over
the centuries, the Wheel of Fortune has been interpreted as an allegorical
symbol of cycles of ever changing circumstances, the result of chance, fate, happenstance,
or just plain luck. In many illustrations, these persons are either moving
upward or downward seemingly enduring or mastering life’s lessons, or being
defeated in tackling the challenges of life’s complex activities. It’s like gambling.
In the game Wheel of Fortune, you choose
a number and take a chance, hoping to win on the spin of the wheel if it stops
on the number you chose. If not, you may be unhappy to lose and either keep
putting more money foolishly on your bet, or go home broke. The future is
unpredictable.

“The Wheel of Fortune in the Tarot and in
European tradition in general, has long symbolized the role of chance in life.” Brian
Williams, “The Book of Fools,” Llewellyn, 2002

Medieval European imagery
of the Wheel of Fortune

Petrarch’s Poem

In
Petrarch’s poem,De Remediis Utriusque Fortunae, in a 15th centuryMedieval manuscript, we see the Wheel of
Fortune is illustrated in several little paintings. (See the excellent essay by Michael J. Hurst on Petrarch’s poem, including
the paintings.)The goddess Fortuna isin the background cranking a wheel and people are either going up
or down on it. In the picture, “Prosperity,” Fortuna’s face is white on one side and black on the other. People on
the left side of the wheel are moving upward and experience good fortune with prosperity
and happiness. While on the other side, people are subjected to bad fortune and
experience betrayal, adversity, hate, and pain. Some illustrations have a
little mock king at the top with ass-ears.

Wheel of Fortune in
Carmina Burana

(This is from a
collection of poems from “Benediktbeuren”, a Latin manuscript of the 12th
century; the figure of the Wheel of Fortune illustrates its first page. The poems are
satirical and moralizing about gambling, drinking, and bawdy love songs, and
other ribald tales. The following is a translation from the album, Carmina Burana; music by Carl Orff).

In the
illustration, a young kingly figure sits at the top but upon closer examination,
he has ass-ears. This card is about the futile desire for power. The figure on
the left aspires to power (also wearing ass-ears) and the figure on the right (with
an ass-tail) falls from a position of power. The figure on the bottom has lost
everything. Goddess Fortuna is in the
center forever turning the wheel. We can take this as a warning about the
dangers of “asinine ignorance” and “animal instinct” in the climb to the top.

In “The Book of Fools Tarot” (Llewellyn,2002) Brian Williams has portrayed at
least 16 images of the Tarot discovered in Sabastian Brant’s illustrated 15th
century book The Ship of Fools”(Das Narrenshiff, 1494). He has re-drawn
the Wheel of Fortune much as it was in the original woodcut. Brant’s book is a
satirical allegory of moralistic poems about the follies and vices of humans. (By the way, Plato wrote about the dysfunctional crew on the ship
of fools in Book VI of The Republic.) On the left side of the wheel, a fool, a man with an ass’s
behind is falling, and an ass with a man’s lower body is rising on the other
side. A long-eared donkey straddles the top (the Fool). in the Tarot of
Marseilles, the Wheel of Fortune is similar.

(There is a possibility
Brant’s book was seen by Hieronymous Bosch as he also painted a version of the
ship of fools as an allegory of follies and vices.)

Other similar wheels

The Wheel of Samsara: Symbol of cycles of life in Hindu
and Buddhist thought

In Hindu
and Buddhist teachings, “Maya is a projection of consciousness…” Anodea Judith

The word
“Maya” describes the illusion of separateness. To seek enlightenment means to
gain release from the Wheel of Samsara and stop going around and around in an endless
fog of illusions. In Hindu thought, this represents a belief in cycles of life,
death and rebirth, forever occurring over and over, where one is reborn again
and again, according to one’s karma. Hence, the believer is always seeking
escape. Cycles of life’s experiences are constantly changing in an endless
rotation. Some seek Nirvana, whichis realized in overcoming a sense of
separateness and experiencing the unity of oneness.

Tibetan Wheel of Life
-Bhavachakra

In
Tibetan Buddhist paintings of the Wheelof Life, we see, on the white half of the circle, that people move to
higher states of existence of happiness and prosperity. Contrary to that, on
the black half, people are experiencing miserable conditions because of
negative actions and false desires. They are being drug along by demons. In
Buddhism, the desire to have this and that and the other leads to suffering and
sorrow. Release comes from understanding the consequences of impermanence of
everything and letting go of all desire

Six realms of human activities are
shown on the wheel as an allegory of people’s lives.

1.Realm
of the gods – a
temporary paradise where prosperity is achieved by good deeds but, in their
vanity and haughtiness, the people don’t recognize the suffering of others.

2.Realm
of titans –
endless warring against the gods and each other because of ambition and
competition, and the will to power.

3.World
of men - people
are trapped in egoism and ignorance and experience endless cycles of birth, sickness
and death.

4.World
of animals –
beasts of burden are examples of oppression, who eat each other, and are stuck
in mindless misery.

5.Realm
of greedy ghosts
– Strange beings suffering from insatiable hunger/thirst for more. Realm of addictions,
and obsession where they never get what they want.

6.Realm
of Hell – places
of hot and cold torment where people are tortured for evil deeds, and consumed
with hate and anger.

The
wheel is held by Yama, a monstrous symbol of impermanence; the Lord of the Dead,
who weighs the deeds of the deceased. Buddha is seen in various places and
postures on the wheel and brings the flame of light and jewels of spiritual
life. He points to the moon of hope and possible release from suffering.

Buddha
taught that anyone could attain enlightenment by expressing the spiritual
jewels of the Four Noble Truths:

1.Truth
of suffering: living righteously

2.Truth
of origin of suffering: restraining the “monkey mind” of turbulent thoughts

3.Truth
of the goal: overcoming suffering by eliminating egotistical desires

In Zen
Buddhism, the practice is more an exercise in logic in distinguishing reality
from unreality.

"It takes
tremendous effort to work one’s way through the difficulties of the path and
actually get into the situation of life thoroughly and properly."Chogyam Trungpa,
Cutting
Through Spiritual Materialism

The Wheel of Fortune in the Waite
deck in present time

In the
popular Waite deck, we see different symbols on the Wheel of Fortune card,
which are Egyptian rather than Medieval, and so represent the mystery of life.
The Sphinx on top indicates a more mystical approach pertaining to the mystery
of the Self. Who am I? What am I? What is my purpose in this life? Do I have a
purpose? Rachael Pollack discusses the meaning of the figures on this wheel in
her book, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom.
She sees the snake as Set, the god of evil who brings death. The jackal
headed man is Anubis, the giver of new life; the guide of souls. The sphinx is
Horus, god of resurrection and secrets of life.

“Life is powerful, chaotic,
surging with energy. Give way to it and Horus, the god of resurrection with
bring new life out of the chaos.”

Rachael Pollack, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom

Evolution and
involution- another way to think about the Wheel of fortune

In “Meditations on the Tarot” by Anonymous,
the author discusses the meaning of the rotation of the wheel from rising up,
to falling down, in terms of evolution
and involution. Evolution begins with
a primitive state and rises to a higher and higher status, while involution
means turning in on oneself – the spiritual inner path of the soul, so to
speak. He talks about Teilhard Chardin’s proposal of “a prototype for all
beings.” He sees life arising from a potential state at a higher level in an
emanationist cosmology where creation is flowing from a so-called God-head.
Plato’s “theory of forms” in the Republic,
discusses the reality of the Idea
behind the material form, or model, as in the blueprint of a ship, and that
these forms are reflected imperfectly in human activities. For example, a
drawing of a circle may never be quite perfect but it exemplifies the Idea of
circularity.

The human condition

The
Wheel of Fortuneis all about the
cycles of the human condition: destiny, fate, change, chance, luck, surprises
and unexpected events.

“…Men constantly create their own
self-made conditions... “Foremost
in our minds at this moment is of course the enormously increased power of
human destruction; that we are able to destroy all organic life on earth and
shall probably be able one day to destroy even the earth itself.”Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition

What should we do when we receive this card in a reading? The
lesson is to be prepared for sudden unexpected situations and shocking
surprises. “Hang onto your hat’” and be open to new opportunities that may come
into your life. Don’t be afraid to act on whatever might come up. Your goals
may change and you may go in a different direction. New people may come into
your life and everything takes on a different meaning. Whatever happens, it’s
time to “go with the flow.”

Contributors

Thumbs up! praise for TOCC

“WOW! Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness represents an intellectual and intuitive journey to the heart of Tarot. Barbara Bruch’s thorough research has led to a blending of insights from philosophical and mystical traditions that is profound and ultimately satisfying for anyone who wants to know how all the systems fit together. She has incorporated the element of “choice” and embraced the Tarot as a set of questions instead of a set of answers. And the cards! The art is simply awe-inspiring.”Gail Fairfield, author of Choice Centered Tarot

“It is a marvelous book – the thoughts within changed my life in incredible ways.”Marilyn Dickey, Educator

Tarot Art Deck -Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness

Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness

0 The Fool

Death, TOCC

Death, TOCC

A Reminder:

Tarot of Cosmic Consciousness cards and book are under copyright 2008. All rights reserved. No portion of the cards may be reproduced in any form, or by electonic, mechanical, or other means, without the written permission of the artist.